The present invention is directed to nutritionally superior cheese products and their methods of manufacture. More particularly, this invention is directed to the manufacture of nutritionally superior cheese products having at least two phases wherein at least one phase is a cheese phase (e.g, process cheese, uncured natural cheese, cured natural cheese, and the like) and at least one phase is a second edible phase (e.g., a cheese different from the first phase, vegetables, meats, fruit, nuts, and the like as well as mixtures thereof). The nutritionally superior cheese products of the present invention are prepared by co-extruding the two or more phases such that the use of adhesives or heat is not required to bind the at least two phases. Moreover, the nutritionally superior cheese products of the present invention do not require moisture barriers separating the cheese phase and the second edible phase. Nutritional supplements (e.g., vitamins, calcium, minerals, and the like) can be incorporated into one or more of the at least two phases.
Cheese-containing products and other dairy products are generally high in protein and can form an important part of a nutritious diet. Efforts have been made to prepare cheese-containing products and other dairy products in forms which are more convenient to consume and which have even increased nutritional benefits. Efforts have also been made to prepare such cheese-containing products and other dairy products in attractive and/or convenient shapes, sizes, and/or forms, which encourage consumption by individuals and especially by children and health-conscious adults.
Recently, for example, solid milk products have been described in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/992,912, filed on Nov. 14, 2001. These solid milk products are high solids, low moisture, high-protein, shelf-stable milk products which are solid at ambient temperatures and, therefore, can be conveniently transported and consumed by hand.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,299,855 (Nov. 10, 1981) described a method of producing a snack-sized cheese product comprising the steps of cooling a molten cheese to a temperature of about 35xc2x0 C., heating a surface area extending in the radial direction from the surface of the cheese to a thickness of xe2x85x9 to ⅙ of the cheese diameter of the cooled cheese to a temperature of about 52 to 39xc2x0 C., cutting the heated cheese into snack sized pieces by rolling within a mold die for rounding the pieces of cheese, and forming each of the snack sized pieces into a rounded shape without corners, thereby providing a snack sized cheese product formed into a desirable rounded shape such as spherical, ellipsoidal, and barrel shape and having good appearance without creases and cracks on the surface thereof as well as a homogeneous texture.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,235,321 (May 22, 2001) provided a snack food product in the form of resilient, molded, self-sustaining bodies preferably made from a heated mixture comprising a dairy product (cheese, yogurt, or pudding), gelatin, fat, and water. The product bodies are small and bite sized, having a mass to surface area ratio of from about 0.05-5 g/cm2, which facilitates molding thereof. Preferred food products are prepared by first creating a heated flowable mixture of including cheese, gelatin, fat, and water, and depositing small quantities of the mixture into molding depressions formed in powdered starch; after hardening, the resultant products are separated from the starch and packaged.
It would be desirable to provide cheese-containing products which are more convenient to consume and which have increased nutritional benefits. It would also be desirable to provide cheese-containing products in attractive and/or convenient shapes, sizes, and/or forms, which encourage consumption by individuals and especially by children and health-conscious adults. The present invention provides such cheese-containing products.
The present invention is directed to nutritionally superior cheese products and their methods of manufacture. More particularly, this invention is directed to the manufacture of nutritionally superior cheese products having at least two phases wherein at least one phase is a cheese phase (e.g., process cheese, uncured natural cheese, cured natural cheese, and the like) and at least one phase is a second edible phase (e.g., a cheese different from the first phase, vegetables, meats, fruit, nuts, and the like as well as mixtures thereof). The nutritionally superior cheese products of the present invention are prepared by co-extruding the two or more phases such that the use of adhesives or heat is not required to bind the at least two phases. Moreover, the nutritionally superior cheese products of the present invention do not require moisture barriers separating the cheese phase and the second edible phase. Nutritional supplements (e.g., vitamins, calcium, minerals, and the like) can be incorporated into one or more of the at least two phases. Preferably the second edible phase is selected from the group consisting of vegetables, meats, mixtures of vegetables and meats, fruits, and nuts, and even more preferably from the group consisting of vegetables, meats, mixtures of vegetables and meats, and fruits. The second edible phase, especially when containing vegetables, meats, or mixtures of vegetables and meats, may also contain cheese (either the same as or different from the cheese in the first or cheese phase).
The present invention provides a nutritionally superior cheese product comprising at least a first discrete phase and a second discrete phase, wherein the first discrete phase comprises a cheese phase and the second discrete phase comprises a second edible phase, wherein the cheese product is prepared by co-extruding the cheese phase and the second edible phase without the use of adhesive or heat to bind the cheese phase and the second edible phase together to form the nutritionally superior cheese product.
The present invention also provides a nutritionally superior cheese product comprising at least a first discrete phases and a second discrete phase phases, wherein the first discrete phase consists essentially of a cheese phase and the second discrete phase consists essentially of a second edible phase, wherein the cheese product is prepared by co-extruding the cheese phase and the second edible phase without the use of adhesive or heat to bind the cheese phase and the second edible phase together to form the nutritionally superior cheese product.
The present invention also provides a method for producing a nutritionally superior cheese product having at least a first discrete phase and a second discrete phase, wherein the first discrete phase comprises a cheese phase and the second discrete phase comprises a second edible phase, said method comprising:
(1) providing a cheese phase in the form of cheese chucks or cheese shreds at a temperature of about 45 to about 70xc2x0 F., wherein the cheese phase has a water activity of about 0.85 to about 0.95 and pH of about 4.5 to about 6;
(2) providing a second edible phase having a water activity of about 0.85 to about 0.95 and pH of about 4.5 to about 6;
(3) co-extruding the cheese phase and second edible phase under low to moderate shear conditions without the use of adhesive or heat to bind the cheese phase and the second edible phase together as discrete phases to form a nutritionally superior cheese extruded product; and
(4) cutting the nutritionally superior cheese extruded product to the desired length to form the nutritionally superior cheese product.
The present invention also provides a method for producing a nutritionally superior cheese product having at least a first discrete phase and a second discrete phase, wherein the first discrete phase consists essentially of a cheese phase and the second discrete phase consists essentially of a second edible phase, said method comprising:
(1) providing a cheese phase in the form of cheese chucks or cheese shreds at a temperature of about 45 to about 70xc2x0 F., wherein the cheese phase has a water activity of about 0.85 to about 0.95 and pH of about 4.5 to about 6;
(2) providing a second edible phase having a water activity of about 0.85 to about 0.95 and pH of about 4.5 to about 6;
(3) co-extruding the cheese phase and second edible phase under low to moderate shear conditions without the use of adhesive or heat to bind the cheese phase and the second edible phase together as discrete phases to form a nutritionally superior cheese extruded product; and
(4) cutting the nutritionally superior cheese extruded product to the desired length to form the nutritionally superior cheese product.